Moroccan Stew

A few years ago, I spent months trying to figure out what was causing digestive issues in my middle daughter, and finally I determined it was onions.  I was so frustrated when my youngest started down the same path of symptoms, even though she had never really HAD onions to begin with!  What was it about onions, anyway?? After much googling and experimentation, I discovered that Clara is probably unable to properly digest fructose, which is a sugar that naturally occurs in onions, apples, and tomatoes (some of the worst offenders!!) and also appears in wheat (gluten) as fructans.  So, our household is largely gluten- and fructose-free these days.  It's a lot of work but it's worth it, knowing she's actually digesting her food, gaining the nutrition from it the way she should be.. and for the ease of handling the output! And it's likely only a short-term thing, since her gut will probably mature as she grows, the way her sister has.

I adapted the following recipe from a really good stew that I had at my mom's house this spring, by eliminating the tomatoes and onions (and picking out the raisins for Clara, since they're fructose-full, too!), and serving over rice instead of couscous.  And I changed the spice rub to suit what I had on hand, because the dish was initially vegetarian and I wanted to use the boneless pork ribs.  It was easy and delicious and suited our dietary needs perfectly!  Next time I'll top with cilantro, and someday I'll add in the onions and tomatoes.

Moroccan Stew

1 ½ lbs. boneless pork ribs

¼ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 T. olive oil

4 large carrots, peeled and chunked

1 medium zucchini, chunked

½ large onion, chunked

¼ C. raisins

1 ½ C. water, OR  1 can diced tomatoes + ½ C. water

Mix together spices and seasoning, and rub onto the pork ribs.  Brown off in the olive oil in a high-sided skillet.  When the last side of the pork is browning, add the vegetables and raisins, and then the water.  Cover and let simmer for about an hour.  Shred the meat before serving over couscous or rice, and topped with fresh cilantro.

Chocolate Popsicles

I went on a bender earlier this summer and stocked my freezer full of homemade popsicles.  I bought a mold for 3" popsicles, and a bunch of sticks, and went to town!!  I blended up strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and yogurt, or bananas, pineapple, frozen mangos, or straight-up strawberries and yogurt.  The girls really enjoyed having them as summer treats, and I felt good that they were getting real food in their treat.  I found enough sweet fruit that I never added any sugar!

The ultimate, though, was when I figured out how to sneak a vegetable into these popsicles.  When I had been pureeing sweet potatoes for baby Clara, I was amazed at how sweet they actually could get after roasting them in the oven, and how luxuriously smooth the texture would get.  I experimented with adding chocolate chips, and a little milk, and it was like pudding.  Seriously, I had everybody fooled - my sister, my neighbor, and his daughter who LOVES chocolate.  There's a tiny bit of aftertaste when sampling it as pudding, but almost none of that when it's frozen.  You will love these!! Although, keep in mind that the amounts are approximate, because of course I didn't write it down immediately after I made them. :)

Chocolate Popsicles

1 large sweet potato

½ C. chocolate chips

½ C. milk

Roast the sweet potato in the oven for at least an hour at 400°, until it's very soft and there’s golden-brown syrup coming out from under the peel.  Peel the sweet potato and put it into the blender.  Add the chocolate chips to the hot sweet potato, and stir it a little bit so the chocolate chips melt.  Add the milk, and then thoroughly blend it until it’s very smooth.  Pour the mixture into 3-oz popsicle molds and allow to freeze.  They may be difficult to remove, so refreeze immediately after removing from the mold.